Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone joined Fire Island business leaders in Ocean Beach on Friday, May 10, 2013.

Rachel’s Waterside Grill on Freeport’s famed Nautical Mile celebrated its grand reopening about six months after Superstorm Sandy swamped the popular eatery. CJ’s Bar and Grill, one of the best known pubs in downtown Ocean Beach on Fire Island, has meanwhile been rushing to open its doors by Memorial Day weekend.

Both restaurants’ owners joined public officials in recent news conferences declaring that the waterfront tourist destinations they call home are back in business—although reconstruction may not be complete until closer to the unofficial start of summer in cases such as CJ’s. The comeback is the latest sign LI is not giving up after the catastrophe.

“It was hectic, and crazy, and busy, and fun,” Ivan Sayles, owner of Rachel’s Waterside Grill, optimistically told the Press while describing the April 26 grand reopening as an adventure. “It is like opening a brand new place. Business was phenomenal.”

Restaurants re-opening in hard-hit areas include Fatfish Wine & Bar Bistro in Bay Shore, Captain Bill’s Restaurant and Catering also in Bay Shore, View Restaurant in Oakdale, E B Elliot’s Restaurant in Freeport and in Long Beach: The Cabana; West End Pizza; East End Pizza; and Whale’s Tale, according to the Long Island Restaurant Association.

In the days and weeks after Sandy, it wasn’t clear how many local businesses that lost inventory and equipment to flooding would reopen. Nearly seven months later, the discouraging sight of debris has been replaced with ‘open’ signs on business doors.

“It has been inspiring to walk these streets where flood waters would have been at our waist six months ago,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said at a May 10 news conference in Ocean Beach. “All of these business opening and ready for the tourism season is nothing short of a miracle.”

Relief can be detected in the voice of the several business owners who have recently reopened their stores.

“There was three feet of water in this building,” said Chris Mercogliano, who owns CJ’s, the 40-year-old bar that was initially believed to be gone forever after Sandy. “We had to completely gut it; all new electric, all new plumbing. It was basically a brand new place. There’s not much left of the old place now.”

He and several other FI business and civic leaders launched the Revive Fire Island campaign to raise money and awareness of the barrier island’s comeback.

“It’s been a long, hard struggle, but as you can see we’re open for business,” said Ocean Beach Mayor James Mallott, who owns The Albatross bar. “We want everyone to know that we are here.”

Back in Freeport, where the local chamber of commerce told reporters that some Nautical Mile establishments will not return this season, the optimism was tinged with harsh realities.

The future of Rachel’s Waterside Grill became dimmer after the storm when government aid was not provided for the desolated business. But a $50,000 grant from National Grid provided well needed help to get the restaurant back on its feet, said Sayles.

Peter’s Clam Bar on Long Beach Road is among the local shops mounting a comeback after Sandy assaulted the eatery. Dominick DeSimone, the bar’s co-owner, describes the months after the hurricane as agonizing.

“[The work has been] very heart breaking,” he said, noting that they reopened despite renovations being one third completed. “We’re waiting for some aid, but there’s no aid at this point.”

Kurt Smith, owner of Flair House clothing store in Ocean Beach, said Sandy forced him to leave his winter job to oversee the rebuilding of his boutique.

“I was pretty much here all winter,” he said. “Seven days a week since February; just making sure that the finished work was done and get everything opened up close to on time. I opened up a week later than I usually do.”

Smith, like other small business owners who rely on a short window of warm weather on LI to draw customers, is banking on patrons returning from bygone seasons.

“Hopefully people will come back to and enjoy the Island again,” he said. “Probably my favorite thing to see is when people come here and they find out what it is and then they fall in love with it for the first time. It’s kind of like a tag line; once you come here you pretty much never leave.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces LIPA proposal on Monday, May 13.

The Long Island Power Authority could be hit with a severe power downgrade if New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gets his way.

The governor laid out a proposal Monday that would shift the embattled utility company’s day-to-day operation to PSEG, the New Jersey-based company slated to replace National Grid next year, and would freeze rates for three years, slash LIPA’s staff considerably and reduce LIPA’s debt load.

Essentially, LIPA would become a holding company, but would remain under government ownership for tax purposes and to ensure reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the governor said.

“Simply put, LIPA is broken,” Cuomo said at the afternoon briefing.

The governor’s long-awaited announcement regarding the utility’s future comes more than six months after Superstorm Sandy pummeled LI, knocking out power to more than 90 percent of the 1.1 million homes and business that LIPA serves. LIPA came under intense pressure amid the storm’s aftermath from local and state officials, including Cuomo, who at his state-of-the-state address in January said “the time has come to abolish LIPA. Period.”

The governor didn’t go that far Monday, nor did he call for LIPA to be privatized, which he suggested early on after the Oct. 29 storm. But he made clear that the utility’s power would be diminished considerably.

“I think the storm was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Cuomo said, joined in Albany with Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “It is the status quo and it has failed.”

Cuomo is seeking to privatize much of the utility’s operation by transferring duties to PSEG come January, improve customer service during storm response and stabilize rates—partly by instituting a rate freeze through 2015. He’s also calling for more government oversight of the utility.

“Getting rates down is essential,” Cuomo said, “getting the cost of power down is essential.”

He decided against privatizing the LIPA altogether, noting that doing so could endanger future reimbursement from FEMA. Sandy aid has already been allocated to cover the cost of raising or relocating LIPA’s power lines so property owners don’t have to foot the bill as they continue construction of their storm-ravaged homes.

The proposal would also impact LIPA’s staff, cutting it from 90 to 20, the governor said, and would slash the number of board members from 15 to five.

Cuomo is looking to push the proposal through this legislative session, which ends at the end of June. The top leaders in the state Senate and Assembly gave no indication that they would pass the bill through their respective chambers.

Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), co-leader of the state Senate, said he “will closely review this plan,” and added that officials are moving the in “right direction.”

“I think this is a thoughtful plan that has many great ideas,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan). “It’s an important step in the right direction.”

Both Mangano and Bellone accepted the governor’s recommendations.

“I think we have a critical moment to be responsive to this issue,” Cuomo said.“There is no alternative because the status quo is dangerous for Long Island.”

The School Active Violence Emergency hotline, or SAVE for short, will provide direct lines from school buildings that will automatically dial the police department’s 911 center supervisor, who can immediately dispatch officers. School officials who use the phone will be able skip the step of an initial interview with a 911 operator.

“This system will allow officers to get details on an emergency which will ultimately better protect our school children and first responders,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Ed Webber said.

Police plan to have the system in place in the coming weeks, according to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. The move comes as Nassau and Suffolk county police have been running drills and holding seminars to prepare for an active-shooter situation in a Long Island school.

The department also considered implementing panic alarms in schools but opted against it because the alert would be too vague for a proper response.

The study was at the direction of the Suffolk County Legislature, which recently passed a measure calling for the department to look into the issue.

“Time will be saved by providing a dedicated line for school emergencies,” said Legis. Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), who proposed the measure.

The John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility in Yaphank.

A tentative deal to stop Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone from shutting down the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility has apparently collapsed when the workers’ union leadership did not allow its membership to vote on the proposal at a union meeting Monday.

The next day after the meeting, Suffolk County Legis. Kate Browning (WFP-Shirley) and John Kennedy (R-Nesconset)—two of the Legislature’s most vocal supporters of the union members’ efforts to keep the county in public hands and prevent Bellone from leasing it to private nursing home operators—issued a joint press release urging Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees President Dan Farrell to let the employees vote on their future.

Farrell countered that the two legislators’ refusal to withdraw their names from a lawsuit blocking the sale, which he is also a party to, stopped him from bringing up the tentative deal for a vote.

“I wanted them to stop the lawsuit so we can make this deal and people can be employed,” Farrell told the Press.
In the legislators’ Tuesday news release, Kennedy said he’d never gotten the document he is accused of refusing to sign, and Browning received a copy of the document only hours before Monday’s union meeting.

“I was clear that I will make my decision based on the vote of the membership,” said Browning in her statement.  “That has not happened yet.  I have also relayed that I would like the county executive to speak with me and Legislator Kennedy directly, and to date he has not requested to meet with me.  I believe it is appropriate for that meeting to occur with the county executive and his attorney and with the attorney representing the union, the legislators and the residents.”

“I have been very clear that I would be guided in any decision regarding continuation of the lawsuit by a vote of the membership at the nursing home,” said Kennedy. “I will not restrict any review or speech about any matter going forward.”

Bellone said the nursing home costs the county about $1 million a year in subsidies to keep the facility open. For $23 million, he wants to turn over its operation to Israel and Samuel Sherman, who run a chain of nursing homes in New York. In the county executive’s proposal, the SCAME would drop its lawsuit against the county and the Shermans would keep Foley’s 180 workers at their present wages and provide their health care benefits for 18 months at least.

“Now we’re back to square one, and I’m afraid the county is going to close the facility,” said Farrell. “Unless I hear otherwise.” He says the county has “already started a closure procedure and I’m assuming they’re going to continue on that path.”

Sources told the Press that it’s unclear whether Farrell actually had the votes to prevail on the tentative deal, which he’d made with Bellone. Meanwhile, the county is still hopeful an agreement can be worked out, and that SCAME may reschedule a vote soon.

But as Kennedy and Browning made clear, neither legislator is happy with Bellone’s proposed settlement, and both want changes made.

“The agreement reaches much farther than dropping the existing lawsuit,” they said in their release. “It goes on to prohibit legislators from publicly opposing a lease proposal, even though the lease proposal never went through a public bidding process. A direct lease to the Shermans as proposed would be illegal and unethical, and certainly not in the best interest of Suffolk County taxpayers.”

The Bellone administration claims the county has only two options left for the nursing home.

“One is that we continue with the state-approved closure plan and the facility closes, the workers lose their jobs and all the residents are transferred to other facilities,” says Deputy County Executive Jon Schneider. “The second is that we approve the deal that was worked out between AME, the administration and the Shermans, which means we do a lease that will immediately end our operating loss of a million dollars a month, provide additional revenue to Suffolk County, provide jobs to all the workers and keep all the residents in their beds….There’s no plan C here. There’s this deal and then there’s closure.”

But Browning says the county does have another choice regarding the 264-bed facility, which now has roughly 180 patients left.

“Why wouldn’t you run it to fill the beds?” Browning said. The county has allowed the bed vacancy rate to increase. “How do you justify the need to sell it? You run it into the ground and show that it’s not making money.”

The breach on Fire Island at Old Inlet opened by Superstorm Sandy is blamed by some for Long Island flooding and credited by others with improving Great South Bay water quality (FINS).

New York State and federal agencies have begun the process of preparing to close the breach on Fire Island caused by Sandy amid renewed debate over whether it’s caused flooding on the South Shore.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) requested Thursday that the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (ACE) take the preliminary steps to seek out a contractor to fill in the breach—but they haven’t officially OK’d its closure.

“If the breach does not close naturally, the closure process will be much further along,” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said in a statement. He said the request will allow the state and feds “to act more quickly to close the breach if that is deemed necessary.”

The breach falls within the remote eastern half of the barrier island in part of the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness Area—the only such federal preserve in the state—known as Old Inlet, which has opened and closed repeatedly throughout history.

The south-facing portion of the breach facing the Atlantic Ocean has widened by more than 1,000 feet since the Oct. 29 superstorm—108 feet on Nov. 3 to 1,171 feet on Feb. 28—and the side facing the Great South Bay more than doubled from 276 feet to 616 feet during the same time period, according to the Fire Island National Seashore (FINS).

“It’s not a final decision to close yet but having everything in place so that when a decision is made we have everything ready to go,” said FINS Superintendent Chris Soller, who believes the breach may still close on its own this spring.

“It will probably be months rather than weeks,” said Chris Gardner, an ACE spokesman, referring to the time it takes to procure and haul in the required heavy machinery. “There’s a variety of different factors at play. Most importantly there’s not dredges working in the area that we can draw upon.”

DEC, ACE and FINS, a unit of the National Park Service, together agreed to begin procuring a contractor under the Breach Contingency Plan, which was used for the first time after Sandy since being inked in 1996 following bungled breach repairs at Westhampton Beach.

The plan was used to close two other breaches—one at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Beach and the other at Smith Point County Park on the other side of the Moriches Inlet—shortly after Sandy. The third breach has been closely monitored but left to close on its own because it falls within the federal wilderness area.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, who called a news conference this week blaming local flooding on the breach and demanding that it be closed immediately, did not respond to a request for comment on the DEC’s announcement.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Farmingdale-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment, contends that there is no proven link that the breach is causing flooding along Suffolk’s bay front. But, it is proven to be flushing the polluted Great South Bay.

“We need to base decisions on fact, not fear,” she said. “I’m very frustrated that science somehow went out the window here … we shouldn’t substitute political science for good marine science.”

Looking southeast, the breach on Fire Island at Old Inlet opened by Superstorm Sandy is blamed by some for Long Island flooding and credited by others with improving Great South Bay water quality (FINS).

Suffolk County officials renewed calls Wednesday for New York State and federal agencies to close a breach on Fire Island formed during Sandy amid debate over whether it’s caused flooding on the South Shore.

The posturing follows a weekend in which extremely high tides flooded coastal Long Island communities closest to the Great South Bay as well as neighborhoods on Fire Island itself—a problem that has been on the rise since the October superstorm. But environmentalists contend that the breach has helped improve water quality in the bay.

“There are people here today who will say this breach isn’t the cause of the flooding; there are others who will say it is—I’m not concerned with that debate,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said at Shorefront Park in Patchogue. “We want that breach to be closed now.”

The breach, in a remote area of the barrier island known as Old Inlet, widened from 108 feet on Nov. 3 to 1,171 feet on Feb. 28 on the southern side facing the Atlantic Ocean, according to Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) data. The north side facing the bay widened to 616 feet from 276 feet during the same time period.

A spokesman for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers said the agency is waiting for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to send an official request for the breach to be closed before a company can be hired to fill the breach. Even if the OK were given tomorrow, it could take weeks or longer to dispatch the dredging equipment required.

“If the state is in agreement and wants to move forward…we would issue the necessary permits,” said FINS Superintendent Chris Soller, who initially took a wait-and-see approach in case the breach closed naturally. “It’s got to be a three-way agreement.”

Emily DeSantis, a spokeswoman for the DEC, said in a statement that the agency “is consulting with coastal experts about the breach to help to determine the best course of action based on science.”

A Breach Contingency Plan developed in the 1990s was first put to use after Sandy to close two other breaches on either side of Moriches Inlet—one at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Beach, the other at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island. But the third breach falls within the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness Area, the only federal wilderness area in the state, where breaches are given time to close on their own before action is taken under the contingency plan.

Both the DEC and FINS said that there is no definitive link between the four-month-old breach and the increased flooding along Suffolk’s bay front from Brookhaven to Babylon towns.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Farmingdale-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment, has credited the breach with cleaning the polluted Great South Bay, which was designated by the state in 2010 as an impaired waterway. The bays shell-fisheries were once nationally renowned before brown tides in the 1980s wiped out most oyster and clam beds.

“While Mother Nature dealt a severe blow to our environment during Superstorm Sandy, she has also provided a precious opportunity to reverse years of declining water quality in the bay,” Esposito said in January. “New York must not squander this opportunity to help restore the bay and rebuild the local economy.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone gives his second State of the County address in Hauppauge on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone proposed streamlining government processes, warned of continued budget deficits and rallied for rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy during his second State of the County address Tuesday night.

Between reflecting on his first year in office and doling out accolades, the first-term Democrat spent a significant portion of his speech reinforcing to legislators his plan to sell the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility in Yaphank—a local political hot potato. If its sale does not go through, explained Bellone, he’d be forced to close the facility.

“The state of our county is that we are rebuilding,” Bellone, the former Babylon Town Supervisor, said before a packed legislative chamber in Hauppauge. “This is a county that has faced challenges before and always emerged stronger.”

His address comes as Long Island waits for billions in federal Sandy aid dollars to begin flowing nearly four months after the historic storm that seriously strained government resources across the tri-state area.

Bellone also reiterated support for the police department’s shift toward focusing on recidivism reduction, intelligence-led policing and improving the monitoring of sex offenders after he appointed Commissioner Ed Webber.

Legis. John Kennedy Jr. (R-Nesconset), leader of the GOP minority, questioned Bellone’s management skills and whether the county exec’s quest to speed up government would mean bypassing the legal processes established in the county charter.

“It appears that were tripping over ourselves to save pennies, when dollars are flying out of the window,” said Kennedy, vowing to launch an inquiry into the recent record-setting blizzard in his 10-minute Republican response to Bellone’s hour-long speech.

“Despite all of the changes that we have made to make our government smaller and more efficient, we still have a significant structural deficit,” Bellone said, meaning Suffolk still has more annual bills than recurring revenues after cutting 700 county workers. “While we’ve made great progress, we still have a long way to go.”

Plow truck moving through Long Island Saturday morning. (Photo credit: Michael Damm)

More than 100 abandoned cars are still littered on major roadways in Suffolk County as emergency crews continue to clear roadways and officials reopen highways temporarily shut down by the dangerous winter storm that rocked Long Island.

From central Suffolk to the East End, emergency crews, many who have been at it for 24 hours, are maneuvering plows across the county to make roadways passable for drivers.

Officials said major highways—the Long Island Expressway, Sunrise Highway, Southern and Northern State Parkways and other roads—have been reopened but they continue to remind drivers to remain home because the conditions are still dangerous.

Suffolk County police Saturday night said hazards remain and are warning drivers to avoid certain areas, specifically Jericho Turnpike in Middle Island.

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Crews hindered by abandoned vehicles strewn across roads now have another obstacle before them: freezing roads.

“That hinders the manpower,” John Jordan, deputy commissioner of Suffolk Fire and Rescue, told the Press Saturday night.

More than 100 contractors are on the roads, Jordan said, adding that assets from New York City will make their way to Suffolk at 7 p.m. and will be dispatched to hard hit areas Sunday morning.

Officials expect clean up efforts to continue through Sunday.

While emergency crews have been successful in moving cars out of the way—some with forklifts and tow trucks—a “couple of hundred” abandoned cars remain strewn along roads, Jordan said.

“Some of them are in so much snow they’re not going to move until the snow melts,” he added.

Related: Snowfall totals on Long Island

He noted that County Road 83 in the Town of Brookhaven had 400 cars stuck on the roadway at one point, while other deserted cars were found along County Road 21 and at the intersection of Route 347 and Jericho Turnpike.

Many unlucky drivers had a front row seat to Friday night’s blizzard, as they were unable to leave their cars after the heavy snow swallowed them up.

Suffolk County police said 150 people were rescued from roadways and taken to warming shelters.

Others weren’t so lucky.

“Unfortunately it’s like quick sand, once you stop in snow like this…you get buried,” Jordan said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a briefing Saturday that Suffolk took the brunt of the storm and “sustained significant damage and significant hardship.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone lamented that if the storm had held off for just a few more hours then less people would’ve been trapped in the blizzard overnight.

“If this storm would have happened two hours later, the hundreds of people struggling to get home would have made it home,” Bellone said. “Emergency vehicles were dispatched immediately but emergency vehicles at this time were getting stuck. Fire trucks were getting stuck…We’ve never seen anything like this.”

The Nor’easter began its onslaught on Long Island Friday afternoon and continued through the night. More than a dozen communities were hit with more than a foot of snow and several areas—all in Suffolk—saw more than 30 inches.

“It’s something that most people probably, if you see it, you’ll see it once in a lifetime, especially in this area,” Jordan said of the storm. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, left, who went to Washington D.C. Tuesday to lobby for Sandy aid, meet with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Reps. Peter King and Steve Israel.

Seventy eight days after Sandy, the remaining $51 billion of the $60-billion northeast aid package finally passed the U.S. House of Representatives, sparking praise from Long Island lawmakers who two weeks ago were at war with the Republican majority that initially snubbed superstorm survivors.

“Tonight’s vote to provide $60 billion in Hurricane Sandy relief was an outstanding victory,” said Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), who famously blasted House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) for the delays. ”It is unfortunate that we had to fight so hard to be treated the same as every other state has been treated. But we did fight this bias against the northeast and thank god our residents won.”

Rep.  Steve Israel (D-Huntington) said, “New Yorkers can finally rest assured that help is on its way. I’m delighted that the House finally passed the Sandy relief bill, but the real heroes are the New Yorkers rebuilding their lives, homes, and businesses.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Conn. Gov. Dannel Malloy released a joint statement saying, “We are grateful to those members of Congress who today pulled together in a unified, bipartisan coalition to assist millions of their fellow Americans … at their greatest time of need.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said he expects the bill to easily pass the Senate and be sent to the President’s desk for signing.

Sandy victims gather in Island Park before bus trip to Washington D.C. (Rashed Mian/Long Island Press)

A group of Superstorm Sandy victims loaded into a bus in Island Park early Tuesday morning as they prepared to descend on Capitol Hill where they will try to convince a divided Congress to approve a full relief package two months after Sandy ravaged the area, crippling infrastructure and leaving many to fend for themselves.

Going along for the ride to Washington, D.C. was 12-year-old Island Park resident John Byrne who stood at a podium in his hometown and passed along a stern message to members of Congress: stop the “political shenanigans,” he said to applause.

That rallying cry seemed to galvanize the dozens of storm weary residents who boarded the bus just after 6 a.m. with the hopes of coming back to Long Island with two “yes” votes in their back pockets.

“We should be getting the money, we should’ve gotten it already—it’s time to stop,” said 38-year-old Roy Gunther.

Storm victims have grown frustrated with Congress’ inability to approve a full relief package despite emotional testimony from local lawmakers. Those making the trek to Washington D.C. hope personal testimony will help convince lawmakers to approve two aid packages that are expected to go in front of the House Tuesday.

A $18 billion bill is expected to address emergency needs and another $33 billion bill—the most controversial—would help allocate funds and resources to assist in recovery efforts and also includes long-term projects focused on preventive measures for future storms.

So far, Congress has only approved a $9 billion bill for the national flood insurance program.

“I feel like the only one’s helping each other are us,” said Melissa Van Wickler of East Rockaway, before boarding the bus. “I’m only one person and I’ve been volunteering so much time all up and down from East Rockaway, Oceanside, Island Park.”

She added: “We need more people to make a difference.”

Sandy victims board a bus that will take them to Washington D.C. where they will push for Sandy aid. (Rashed Mian/Long Island Press)

Historically, the federal government is quick to approve funds for relief efforts. It only took Congress two weeks to approve $62.3 billion in federal emergency appropriations after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on New Orleans.

Also making the trip to the Nation’s Capitol are Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and is Suffolk County counterpart Steve Bellone.

“We bring our voices to members of Congress today,” Mangano blasted into a microphone.

“When Americans are hurting and suffering our country has always been there to support them…until now,” added Bellone. “We need this bill passed now.”

In December, the Senate passed a $62 billion recovery bill with bipartisan support but the legislation was never brought to the floor of the House, leading Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) to blast his fellow Republicans and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Last week, King said on his Facebook page that “I think we’re going to have the votes” to pass the Sandy aid package.

Despite the delay in aid, some attending the rally said a federal relief package is better late then never.

“We can still save homes, still save business, we can still save lives if we effectively apply this aid,” said Walk A Mile in Our Shoes co-founder Peter Corless, who organized the trip.